IMF and ICEM protest against the new, degraded Labour Code in Kyrgyzstan

KYRGYZSTAN: Kyrgyz government rush to adopt the new, degraded Labour Code without proper consultation with social partners. This initiative was met with strong criticism from the national unions, including IMF and International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) affiliates, as well as the international trade union community. IMF and ICEM sent a letter of protest to the prime minister of Kyrgyzstan.

On February 20 a special government task force was set with the aim of developing a new Labour Code for Kyrgyzstan. Few weeks later, on March 9 the new Code was presented to the general public. The government plans to decide on the new Code on March 23, despite the laws requiring to submit such bills for public discussion for at least a month.

The new Labour Code contains 134 articles, while the existing one includes 446 articles. If the new Code is adopted, the position of labour in industrial relations will suffer. The new Code lacks the articles concerning the rights and obligations of the parties, the concept and the principles of social partnership, health and safety, protection for several special groups of workers. Guarantees for trade unions are absent as well.

In the letter to the prime minister of Kyrgyzstan IMF and ICEM note that the new Labour Code strongly resembles the one adopted in Georgia in 2006. The new Labour Code in Georgia also contains very few guarantees and protections. It was opposed by the unions and criticized by the ILO.

"The experience of deregulating industrial relations on the global scale shows that the attempts to attract foreign investment at the cost of diminishing labour and union rights never lead poor countries to prosperity. Such attempts only preserve poverty and further impoverish the rightless workers and the society as a whole," states the letter.